NEWS RELEASE January 24, 2002
CONTACTS:
Jonathan Proctor, Predator Conservation Alliance, 406/543-8424
Jeff Kessler, Biodiversity Associates, 307/742-7978
Nicole Rosmarino, Forest Guardians, 719/523-4123
Seven Million Americans Tell Forest Service: Time to Revise Grassland Management
Agency fails the public, fails wildlife and violates law with management plan
THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS, U.S.A.: A coalition of 18 conservation organizations, representing over seven million Americans, has requested that the U.S. Forest Service revise its current management plan for the Northern Great Plains. The final plan, which will guide the management of 2.9 million acres of public lands for at least the next decade, breaks existing laws and regulations, and ignores the will of the public.
"A new constituency is gaining appreciation for the National Grasslands and demanding their protection," said Jonathan Proctor, Program Associate for Predator Conservation Alliance. "We want future generations to be able to enjoy our wildlife heritage, not just read about it in books."
The organizations requesting progressive steps to protect the grasslands include: Biodiversity Associates, Predator Conservation Alliance, Forest Guardians, the Biodiversity Legal Foundation, American Lands Alliance, the Buffalo Field Campaign, the Center for Native Ecosystems, the Ecology Center, Friends of the Bow, the Fund for Animals, the Humane Society of the U.S., Oregon Natural Desert Association, Rocky Mountain Animal Defense, the Southern Plains Land Trust, Western Nebraska Resources Council, Western Watersheds Project, Wildlands Center for Preventing Roads, and Wild Watershed.
"If the Forest Service wants to present a balanced plan, then wildlife and habitats need to be the top priorities on parts of the Grasslands, rather than giving cattle or mineral production priority across the board," said Jeff Kessler of Biodiversity Associates. "This planning process has given the Forest Service a golden opportunity to restore our last untamed grasslands, and they’re blowing it."
"Despite six years of planning, we are nearly back where we started: cows, oil and gas continue to reign supreme on public lands in the northern Great Plains," stated Nicole Rosmarino of Forest Guardians. "The public has spoken in favor of full restoration of the prairie dog ecosystem and wild-free roaming bison, and the public continues to be ignored."
Among the conservation groups’ findings:
&Mac183; The Forest Service failed to adequately address all public comments as required under the law. The Forest Service first asked for comments on the management plan two years ago, then ignored many of these comments in the crafting of the final plan.
&Mac183; The alternatives under consideration violate certain laws and must be revised to make them legal. The Forest Service presents five alternatives in the final plan, which should represent a full range of options—including restoration of all native wildlife species. Not one proposal considered this option.
&Mac183; The Forest Service entirely ignores wild bison restoration to these lands, despite widespread public support.
&Mac183; The proposed plan opens more land to oil and gas development than currently permitted. Oil and gas development will not even be prohibited from proposed Wilderness areas, or from recovery areas for the endangered black-footed ferret.
&Mac183; The plans provide far fewer enforceable protections for wildlife, counter to what federal law requires. The Forest Service acknowledged in the plan that certain management options would lead to the eventual disappearance of the sage grouse, yet these options were included in the final plan. Also, protections for big horn sheep would be eliminated, and potential swift fox habitat would not be protected, despite a stated agency goal of expanding this species’ range. Black-tailed prairie dogs do not receive full protection from poisoning and shooting, even though the species is warranted for protection under the Endangered Species Act. Other species fare no better under the agency plan.
&Mac183; The plans fail to protect wild lands. All proposed Wilderness Areas in North Dakota and Wyoming were eliminated from the current plan.
&Mac183; The Forest Service plan deems 99.99 percent of all open grasslands suitable for cattle grazing.
A copy of the groups’ comments is available by calling the contacts listed above.
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